Maya Jama has shared her thoughts on the row that occurred during the live I’m A Celebrity… South Africa final on Friday night.
The last instalment of the I’m A Celebrity spin-off saw the remaining cast return to the studio to see who would be crowned legend of the jungle.
The final descended into chaos as David Haye exploded at Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas, Jimmy Bullard launched a furious rant at hosts Ant and Dec for editing out clips and both Sinitta and Gemma Collins stormed off stage.
TV star Maya, 31 – who has presented ITV‘s Love Island since January 2023 – retweeted a chaotic clip involving all of those moments and said: ‘Didn’t watch but from this clip alone…
‘This is why I love live TV so much & hosting the aftersun show because barely any channels do it anymore out of fear of what can go wrong but people want real reactions and an edited show will never compete to the live experience!
‘Ant and Dec I love you forever also x.’
Maya Jama has shared her thoughts on the row that occurred during the live I’m A Celebrity… South Africa final on Friday night
The final descended into chaos as David Haye exploded at Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas , Jimmy Bullard launched a furious rant at hosts Ant and Dec for editing out clips and both Sinitta and Gemma Collins stormed off stage
Maya said: This is why I love live tv so much & hosting the aftersun show because barely any channels do it anymore out of fear of what can go wrong but people want real reactions and an edited show will never compete to the live experience!’
Many replied to her tweet with their thoughts on the matter.
‘Lol this is where British TV thrives tbh — unfiltered and messy af.’
‘You’re absolutely right, live TV adds a real edge.’
‘I also love live TV for this like LI Allstars final when Kyra called out Jack you was confused but said well come to you Jack to say your bit Ant & Dec handled this well.’
‘Love islander viewers yearn for messy live tv.’
‘People love drama, violence and celebrities were ruining their lives on live TV. This would bring back British television.’
‘yeah live TV chaos is unmatched.’
‘We need live TV more often.’
Many replied to Maya’s tweet and agreed that they love live television because it adds ‘real edge’
During the final, Ant and Dec gave Jimmy the opportunity to speak after Adam allegedly called him the ‘C-word’ in an explosive clash when he pulled the plug on the show early last year.
Jimmy admitted he had to leave for personal reasons and that if he didn’t say ‘I’m A Celebrity’ in the challenge, he would not have received his full pay.
‘Listen, Adam and all of you can be upset with me and I absolutely threw him under the bus, I get it and I’ll wear that’, Jimmy said. ‘But what I don’t stand on, is someone being abusive, aggressive and intimidating, I don’t stand on that.’
Welcoming Ant and Dec to share their opinion on the matter, Jimmy said: ‘You [pointing to the hosts] were there and you didn’t show any of that [footage].’
‘You didn’t show any of the C-bombs, it’s a liberty’, Jimmy fumed.
Ant argued: ‘The reason we didn’t air the C-bomb is because that is unbroadcastable. I was there and I didn’t think it was intimidating. I was there Jim.’
During Adam’s opportunity to speak, he said: ‘I take full responsibility for my actions and yes emotions were definitely running high in that moment.
‘I have nothing but love for Jimmy in that moment. I have apologised to Jimmy on numerous occasions and I do take everything that he is saying into account and the only thing I can do is apologise.
‘That is not how I want to show myself off and I have never shown myself off like that before or after that. I do apologise Jimmy.’
‘Funny way of showing it’, David interjected before Ant and Dec furiously told him to stop interrupting.
David continued: ‘I like to say how I see it, I like to keep it real and what I have seen is a lot of editing to make this poor guy [pointing to Adam] the victim so the people will support him.
‘We all had banter back and forth, a lot of it was cut out from there side. But I think it is time for the truth.’
Storming off stage, Sinitta yelled at the audience: ‘Guys, you weren’t there, I was there and it was aggressive and abusive, we were shaking.’
Jimmy shouted in the background: ‘You can’t be aggressive, abusive and intimating, it doesn’t matter if Adam said sorry. I will not take you [Ant] saying it wasn’t aggressive, abusive and intimating, you can’t say that. Show it, let everyone watch it, let’s play it now!’
Ant and Dec wrapped up: ‘Right, let’s leave it there. We’ll agree to disagree Jim.’
In the scenes that did air of the fiery clash, Adam could be seen shouting at his co-star: ‘Jimmy, are you f***ing taking the p***? I am in there getting covered in f***ing ants.’
Jimmy replied: ‘Woah, calm down. That’s pathetic.’
However, Craig and several other co-stars have since claimed that Adam dropped the C-bomb multiple times in unaired scenes.
I’m A Celebrity… South Africa airs on ITV.
I’M A CELEBRITY ALL-STARS 2026: MEET THE CAMPMATES
GEMMA COLLINS
The GC took part in the 14th series of I’m A Celebrity back in 2014
AGE: 45
SERIES: 2014 (14th series) quit after 72 hours
OCCUPATION: Reality star
FAMOUS FOR: Gemma, popularly known as The GC, rose to fame on the reality series The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE). She is known for her larger-than-life ‘diva’ persona.
ASHLEY ROBERTS
As the 2012 runner-up, Ashley said going on I’m A Celebrity was life-changing
AGE: 44
SERIES: 2012 runner-up (12th series)
OCCUPATION: Heart Radio presenter, Pussycat Doll
FAMOUS FOR: Ashley Roberts is a showbiz correspondent for Heart Breakfast. She rose to fame in noughties girlband the Pussycat Dolls.
SIR MO FARAH
Sir Mo Farah, 43, is hoping to conquer his fear of snakes
AGE: 43
SERIES: Fifth place in 2020 (20th series set in Wales)
OCCUPATION: Olympian
FAMOUS FOR: Sir Mo is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic history. He won gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
DAVID HAYE
Former World Champion boxer David Haye thinks nothing will scare him in the jungle
AGE: 45
SERIES: 2012, came in third place (12th series)
OCCUPATION: Boxer
FAMOUS FOR: David is a legendary British former professional boxer. He is one of only three boxers in history to have unified the world titles at cruiserweight and gone on to become a world heavyweight champion.
SCARLETT MOFFATT
Scarlett Moffatt, 35, admitted she was feeling apprehensive about the jungle
AGE: 35
SERIES: 2016 Queen of the jungle (16th series)
OCCUPATION: Reality star
FAMOUS FOR: Scarlett became a TV favourite after joining Gogglebox. She went on to win I’m A Celebrity in 2016.
SEANN WALSH
Since Australia, Seann Walsh is now a proud dad of two
AGE: 40
SERIES: 2022, finished in fifth place (22nd series)
OCCUPATION: Comedian
FAMOUS FOR: Seann Walsh is a comedian who was caught in a cheating scandal when he starred in Strictly in 2016 alongside his professional partner Katya Jones.
SINITTA
Sinitta, 62, hopes she will finally conquer her phobia of ‘everything’
AGE: 62
SERIES: 2011, voted out second (11th series)
OCCUPATION: Eighties popstar
FAMOUS FOR: Sinitta, first reached global fame in the 1980s with hits like So Macho and Toy Boy. She was also known for her guest appearances on The X Factor.
JIMMY BULLARD
Former footballer Jimmy, 47, will be joining his fellow co-stars Gemma and Craig
AGE: 47
SERIES: 2014 (10th place)
OCCUPATION: Former footballer
FAMOUS FOR: Known as ‘The Bulldog’, Jimmy was a highly technical and energetic midfielder who became a cult hero for his sense of humour and iconic celebrations.
ADAM THOMAS
Adam’s son, Teddy, was only two when he first did the Australian jungle
AGE: 37
SERIES: Third place in 2016 (16th series)
OCCUPATION: Actor
FAMOUS FOR: Adam is famous for starring in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale. He recently returned to Waterloo Road for its 20th anniversary.
HARRY REDKNAPP
Harry Redknapp won the 18th series of I’m A Celebrity back in 2018
AGE: 79
SERIES: 18th series in 2018. I’m A Celebrity King Of The Jungle.
OCCUPATION: Legendary football manager
FAMOUS FOR: Harry Redknapp’s career spans over 60 years in professional football, transitioning from a skilful winger to one of the most recognisable managers in Premier League history.
CRAIG CHARLES
Corrie legend Craig, 61, was another celebrity who starred in the 14th series
AGE: 61
SERIES: 2014 quit early
OCCUPATION: Actor
FAMOUS FOR: Craig is most famous for his role as Dave Lister in the cult science-fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and for playing Lloyd Mullaney in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street.
BEVERLEY CALLARD
Beverley was part of the first series that took place in a Welsh castle in 2020
AGE: 69
SERIES: 2020, came in tenth place (20th series)
OCCUPATION: Actress
FAMOUS FOR: Beverley played Coronation Street’s iconic Liz McDonald on and off for 31 years.
